October 12, 2012 — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced today that the Kaiser Permanente Medicare plan in the Northwest Region earned 5 stars, the highest overall rating for quality and service for 2013 plans. This is the second year the region has received the top rating from CMS.
“Our clinicians and staff are dedicated to saving lives and providing the best preventive and chronic condition care possible, enabling our members to lead healthy and productive lives,” said Jeffrey Weisz, MD, president and executive medical director of Northwest Permanente, PC. “We will continue to demonstrate our commitment to quality and service in the Northwest Region.”
Each year through the Medicare star quality rating system, CMS rates Medicare health plans (Parts C and D) on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars representing the highest quality. The overall scores are based on more than 50 care and service quality measures across five categories, including staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, member satisfaction, customer service, and pharmacy services.
This announcement follows the news that, for the second year, Kaiser Permanente Northwest’s Medicare and private (commercial) plans received the top ranking among HMO and PPO plans from the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Health Insurance Plan Rankings for 2012-2013. In addition, the region’s Medicare plan ranked fifth best in the nation.
Six 5-star Medicare plans nationwide are Kaiser Permanente plans for 2013. Last year, four Kaiser Permanente Medicare plans received 5-star ratings for 2012 — California, the Northwest, Colorado, and Hawaii. This year, Kaiser Permanente’s Mid-Atlantic States and Ohio regions were added to the 5-star list.
“To earn the highest quality recognition, a health plan should ensure patients and their doctors have access to all the tools necessary for maintaining total health,” said Jed Weissberg, MD, senior vice president of Hospitals, Quality and Care Delivery Excellence for Kaiser Permanente. “We offer services such as the ability to make online appointments, getting lab results electronically, access to your complete health records, and providing secure email directly to your personal physician.”
Kaiser Permanente has participated in the Medicare program since its inception in 1965 and has a long history of providing high-quality care and service to its members.
In addition to receiving high-quality care and service, 5-star excellence means that Medicare beneficiaries may enroll in a 5-star plan from December 8, 2012, to November 30, 2013, without having to wait until the next annual enrollment period.
Medicare beneficiaries can learn more about the Medicare star quality ratings and Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare plans by visiting kp.org/medicarestars or medicare.gov, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Plan performance summary star ratings are assessed each year and may change from one year to the next. Kaiser Permanente Northwest includes Oregon and Washington. Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States includes Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
